Braves, Nationals scrap on Twitter after Bryce Harper hit by a pitch

Dvisional rivals Atlanta and Washington got testy during their Tuesday night game.

The Nats' Bryce Harper hit a home run early, but apparently celebrated his run too much for pitcher Julio Teheran's taste.

Teheran responded, pegging Harper in the thigh with a 94-mph pitch in the fifth inning. Harper was visibly upset, and was convinced that it was on purpose.

Instead of walking it off and heading to first, Harper gave Teheran a profanity-laced earful.

The benches cleared, as both dugouts poured onto the field. The situation diffused within a minute, and Harper said he was not going to charge the mound.

“I mean, 14 1/2 games down and I need to be in the lineup,” Harper said. “He’s got to do what he’s got to do. And it’s part of the game, like I said. If I walk-off on somebody and he wants to drill me, I’ll let him drill me and I’ll stand on first base and say some choice words and get over it.”

The tussle carried over to Twitter, where the teams' official accounts hurled insults at each other.

Clown move bro

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— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) August 7, 2013

@Braves Which part, giving up the home run, or drilling the 20-year-old on the first pitch his next time up?

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) August 7, 2013

Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said he didn't think the pitch was intentional.

“He was just trying to throw a fastball in and he held onto it a little bit and got him in the thigh. And then boys being boys. I think Joe West did a nice job, and just giving everybody warnings and everybody settled down and everybody went back to playing baseball," Gonzalez said.